


You and I

by keeperofthefour



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, F/M, mc boosting his confidence, seven being difficult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keeperofthefour/pseuds/keeperofthefour
Summary: A rather domestic tale of my favorite redhead. I’m currently playing through his route for the second time and find myself falling for him all over again. This is me dealing with his low self-esteem and mine, probably and making sure he gets all the love and words of affirmation he needs.There are some elements of smut, but I tried to keep it from being too explicit. I feel this incessant need to not over-sexualize these characters, so if you’re looking for pure smut, this isn’t your fic. It’s actually pretty angsty and fluffy. I just want to hug him forever.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 95





	You and I

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Find me on tumblr @truth-be-told-im-lying

Late evening, the dead of winter. The furnace stopped working the day before, so they’re tangled together under three blankets for warmth. A jumbled mess of arms and legs wrapped in each other. Nude, except for underwear. The way they slept each night since their life together began. It has all been a whirlwind, faster than any love affair she’s ever been party to. Not that she had been involved with so many men before Saeyoung. He very well might be her first true love, and as far as she was concerned, he would be the last. The best. The most important. 

He nibbles along her bare collarbone and upward, against her neck, until he’s biting gently at her jaw with a playful growl. She sighs and curls into him, fingers carding through his hair. The room is dark, save for a string of multi-colored lights hung carelessly across the one window in the room, and there’s a quiet hum from a small space heater positioned beside their bed to take the chill out of the air.

"Say it again," he murmurs against her cheek, pecking noisy smooches between each word  
"Say what?"  
"The thing."  
"Saeyoung, what-"  
"The thing! The words. You know!" His fingers press into her hips, her most ticklish spot. She tries to wiggle away from him, but fails miserably.  
"I love you!" she says through her laughter, throaty and honest.  
"God Seven affectionate mode activated! Prepare to be ravaged within an inch of your life!" He pounces. He’s over her in an instant, playfully kissing every inch of her face, like a dog who has been away from his master too long. She’s giggling beneath him, but her hands are on his rear and she feels his hardness brushing against her abdomen, so she pulls him close, arching her pelvis to meet his. 

And suddenly, the room doesn't feel quite so cold anymore.

~

The next morning is a lazy one. One of her feet found its way out of the blankets overnight, and she pulls it back in with a shiver, pressing the icy appendage against Saeyoung’s shin. He howls and grabs her around the waist, spooning against her, his face buried in the nape of her neck.  
"That was mean," he complains, twisting her hair away from her shoulders to press his lips against the exposed skin. The tip of his nose is cold, and she shudders when it makes contact, the difference in temperature from his warm lips stealing her breath. She pushes her face into her pillow and laughs, the sound muffled.

"Lets make crepes," Saeyoung proposes, squeezing her for good measure. 

"What?" She doesn't bother lifting her face away from the plush, cotton pillow. 

"Crepes! You know, I'm in the mood for a challenge this morning. Day off. Perfect time to learn new things and destroy the kitchen. Wanna help?" He's so enthusiastic she can't bear to say no, so they wake up slow, stretching, embracing. Saeyoung bounces out of their bedroom with his best girl toddling sleepily behind, rubbing her eyes, tying her hair into a messy bun.

She calls a repairman for the heating and wanders throughout the living room, phone tucked under her chin, picking up empty pop cans and crumbs from the couch, evidence of their evening spent binge watching some terrible tv together. The gentleman on the phone is apologetic, but the snow and ice conditions on the road coupled with the forecasted amount for the day did not bode well for travel. No one would be able to come out until at least early next week. They would have to continue to make their own warmth at home, one way or another.

“Babe! I need your help. I think something’s wrong,” Saeyoung calls from the kitchen. She finishes pulling on knee-high wool socks and smiles to herself, padding out to see. But she isn’t quite prepared for what he’s gotten himself into.

She muffles a laugh behind her hand as her eyes fly open wide at the chaos that he’s managed to create in less than ten minutes. An open bag of flour spilled on the counter and into soft pillows of white on the ceramic tile floor. Two cracked eggs beside a mixing bowl, their contents dripping down the edge. A gallon of milk, some of it poured into a glass measuring cup, perched precariously close to the edge of the counter. And Saeyoung. Flour smudged on his forehead, face nearly the same color as his hair, bouncing on his toes as he fanned the smoke away from the heated pan on the stovetop.

“Don’t...here. Let me help,” she says patiently, turning off the heat so the pan could cool. “First of all, don’t turn on the heat until you’re ready to cook. Second,” she sighs, hands on her hips, surveying the damage. She grabs another egg and holds it up between them. “Watch and learn.”

Opting to let her take over, Saeyoung turns on music and dances around the kitchen while she whisks the batter expertly, drumming against all the hard surfaces he can find with a wooden spoon. He’ll grind against her backside every so often and she turns to kiss his cheek, beaming at him, his hand trailing down to grab a handful of her rear. 

The crepes are eaten leisurely at the table overlooking a small garden space teeming with snow and ice, steaming cups of coffee providing a pleasant buzz of energy and warmth. They’ve decided together that once Saeran has returned safely, the space will be his to cultivate however he sees fit. For now it remains untouched, buried under several inches of wintry white, patiently waiting for spring and a pair of eager hands to unearth the soil and bring forth new life.

“What are we going to do today? We can’t go out, the road conditions are terrible,” she pouts, chin resting in her hand as she stares out the window. As far as the eye can see, everything is white, glistening. There’s a certain stillness in the snow that would bring her peace in different circumstances. But she worries with the plummeting temperatures that the house is going to grow unbearably cold, and they might get sick. 

Saeyoung senses her mood and reaches across the table to grab her other hand. “We can go out! We used the last of the eggs anyway. Well...I ruined them, I guess. Let’s go shopping! It will be an adventure, because we’ll be the only idiots out there today. C’mon.” They leave the dishes on the table and retreat to the bathroom, where a steaming hot shower turns into the second lovemaking session of the morning. She’s pressed against the tile wall, water cascading around them as he drives into her from behind, arm wrapped tightly around her waist, the squelching, wet sounds of their bodies slapping together echoing in the hollow space. They wash one another’s hair and throw soap clouds at each other until all the hot water is used up.

He’s oddly somber during their drive. She reaches over to quietly lay her hand over his while he’s shifting gears, and he glances at her, offering a tight-lipped smile.

“What is it, babe?” she asks, eyes searching his face.

He shakes his head and keeps his eyes fixed ahead. There’s a lot of snow, and it doesn’t seem that any plows have been able to push it away yet. It’s still falling in large, fluffy flakes, with no end readily in sight. “I’m dreaming, I think.” There’s a sadness in his voice. He’s melancholy again, his lack of self-esteem clouding his thoughts.”You’re not here. Or I’m dead, or something. I’m in heaven. That’s it!” He forces a laugh, tapping a finger against his temple. “I’ve died and gone to heaven. Seven-oh-Seven, Defender of the Universe, is at the right hand of God Almighty, and has been gifted his own personal angel! The life I lived on earth must have been a righteous one!” 

Her hand tightens around his, and she’s angry for a brief moment. Angry at him for not believing in himself, in her. But that anger soon dissolves into a deep sadness for her boyfriend. All his life, he’s deemed himself unworthy of love. His mother didn’t help that at all, and his father’s antics certainly didn’t help his sense of self worth in the least. And she knew that their love was new, but she desperately wanted him to believe in her when she told him how much he meant to her.

“But if you’re dead, then I am too, Saeyoung. And I feel very much alive, thanks to you and your enthusiasm in the shower this morning.” Her tone is low and secretive, and she feels her cheeks growing hot with the recent memory.

"I don't deserve this. I don't know what to do with your love.” He’s shaking his head in disbelief.

She sighs, exasperated, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Then just let me love you. Let me indulge. Let me show you that you are worthy. And for the love of God, stop questioning it.”

He doesn’t seem to hear. Or care that she was speaking. It was as if he were alone with his thoughts, and they were just spilling forth. Was this what it was like in his head? All the time? It’s painful for her to hear, and her eyes fill with tears hearing him speak about himself in such a way. "I'm dangerous. I'm strange. I'll keep trying to push you away. Don't waste your feelings, please."

"There's no one else I'd rather 'waste' my feelings on, Saeyoung." She’s trying to remain calm, but her voice is rising steadily, each of his statements only serving to stoke the flames that lick at her calm. 

"You've been so kind and patient. What did I do to deserve you?"

She chokes on a sob. His eyes widen and he pulls the car over into the first available space he finds, shifting into park and gathering her in his arms. 

“I’m so sorry,” he offers, deeply apologetic, cradling her head against his chest as she sobs. Oh, what has he done?

“Why don’t you believe me?” she cries, pummeling his chest with her fists. “Why is it so hard for you to just accept that I am in love with you? I was from the moment we first connected. You knew it, I knew it, even Jumin picked up on it! I’m so tired of you doubting it! I don’t know what else I can do to show you that I’m in this for good, Saeyoung!” She pauses, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “I want you. I need you. I’m yours, and I’m here for as long as you’ll have me!”

All he could do was hold her, stroke her hair, kiss the crown of her head as her tears fell into the collar of his shirt. He felt terrible, and wished that somehow he could heal her pain, to stop the horrible feelings of inadequacy that he battled with every day. A lifetime of being told he was worthless, though, had done a number on his psyche. Even his work with the agency– especially his work with the agency– made him terrified to catch feelings for anyone or anything in his life, even those he was close to before she came along. He made a habit of distancing himself from even friendships, never knowing when his last moment would be. If there was an especially dangerous situation, he needed to be prepared, and didn’t want those closest to him to hurt too much if any particular mission was his last. He dealt with volatile people in sometimes violent circumstances. 

And then she came along and shattered everything. She broke down his defenses with a simple look from her honey brown eyes when he watched her on the security feed from Rika’s apartment. He was weak for her from the instant he saw her, and their chats only served to further his infatuation with her. The other members noticed their chemistry right away and even encouraged it. 

Vanderwood, on the other hand, reminded Saeyoung that he had work to do for his agency and urged him to shrug her off, to forget about his feelings for her. So he did everything he could to push her away, to stop taking her calls and stop making jokes in the chat rooms. She had been terrified then, worried that she’d been too forward and maybe joked a little too much with him. She called and called him, but he refused to pick up, throwing himself into his paying job and trying to crack the case of the RFA hacker at the same time. 

He eventually came around, and they were able to move forward as a couple after the first successful RFA party with her as coordinator. They hadn’t been able to attend, but they listened to a live feed over the radio, opting to pursue Saeran and Vanderwood in hopes that they could find his brother alive and well and pull him away from Mint Eye. 

They had been happy for the most part. But situations like now, she struggled to understand. She was nothing but kind and patient with his mood swings, and was always at the ready to help build him up. She would be remiss, however, to not admit that it was emotionally draining for her. And times like now...when she was broken and weary of his constant doubt, he was unsure how to react. 

So he lifts her chin and dries her tears with the pad of his thumb, smiling softly before taking her lips in a gentle kiss. She whimpers, the sound lost between their mouths as she curls her fists in the collar of his coat, pulling him close against her as she possibly could. He tastes of coffee and syrup...of comfort and home. 

“Why do you doubt me?” she whispers against his ear, her fingers curling around the nape of his neck, stroking the sensitive skin.

“I don’t mean to. I mean...I don’t want to. You give me no reason to.” He removes his glasses and lays them on the dash, pulling her close, the fabric of their thick coats whispering as they brush together. “I’m trying, though. Every day, I promise. It’s hard to forget a lifetime of shoving my feelings down and ignoring them.”

She’s proud of him for admitting that. It’s the first time he’s suggested it, and she sees it as a breakthrough. She warms her cold hands by squishing his cheeks until his lips pucker and has a good laugh about his funny face. He’s exaggerating the expression, making fish lips and sucking noises at her, pecking kisses on her nose.

“Trust in me, Saeyoung. I love you,” she says earnestly, squeezing his cheeks harder for emphasis.

“I wub wu, too. Don’t gib up o me.” She relaxes her grip and strokes the flushed skin. His golden eyes are playful, but there’s an undercurrent of bittersweet sadness. Saeyoung’s love is raw and real and overwhelming when he allows it, but it’s only for her.

She’s there. Always. Even now, in this ridiculous, intimate moment of uncertainty in his car, the snow piling up rapidly around them, melting on the windshield of the car, barely visible beyond the fog they’ve created with their breath. 

“I won’t. But your cooking skills need some work. We’d better get two dozen eggs this time. And a few more things, from the look of the weather.” She sighs and traces a smiley face in the foggy window with her index finger. Saeyoung adds cat ears and whiskers before reaching for his glasses and shifting in his seat, preparing to drive.

“Do you think we can cook eggs for our wedding reception at the space station?” he wonders aloud, watching her roll her eyes, but not missing out on the small smile she tries to hide. 

“Only if you get better at cracking them.”

He chuckles. “Good thing I have you around to show me.” He rests his hand on her thigh and squeezes gently. “My angel. What did I ever do without you?”


End file.
